For more information on University of Edinburgh, visit Britannica.com.
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: University of Edinburgh |
For more information on University of Edinburgh, visit Britannica.com.
| Hoover's Profile: The University of Edinburgh |
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Old College, South Bridge Edinburgh EH8 9YL, United Kingdom Tel. +44-131-650-1000 Fax +44-131-650-2147 |
Type: School
On the web:
http://www.ed.ac.uk
Employees:
6,649
The University of Edinburgh is the largest institution of higher learning in Scotland, serving more than 20,000 students. Its three colleges -- Humanities and Social Science, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, and Science and Engineering -- offer more than 300 degree programs. The university has been ranked as one of the top 30 institutions in the world, as well as one of the top 10 in Europe. It is also known for its research, and ranks highly among the UK's top research-led universities. The University of Edinburgh, established in 1583, is one of the ancient universities of Scotland, which include University of Aberdeen, University of Glasgow, and University of St. Andrews.
Key numbers for fiscal year ending July, 2008:
Sales: $1,097.7M
Officers:
Principal and Vice-Chancellor: Timothy O'Shea
Director Finance: Jon Gorringe
Press and Public Relations: Ronald (Ronnie) Kerr
| Columbia Encyclopedia: University of Edinburgh |
| Wikipedia: University of Edinburgh |
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| The University of Edinburgh | |
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| Latin: Universitas Academica Edinensis | |
| Established | 1582 |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | £185 million[1] |
| Chancellor | HRH The Duke of Edinburgh |
| Rector | Iain Macwhirter |
| Principal | Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea |
| Staff | 2752[2] |
| Students | 24,220 (2007-08)[2] |
| Undergraduates | 16,980[2] |
| Postgraduates | 7,240[2] |
| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK 55°56′50.6″N 3°11′13.9″W / 55.947389°N 3.187194°W |
| Campus | Urban |
| Affiliations | Russell Group Coimbra Group LERU Universitas 21 EUA |
| Website | http://www.ed.ac.uk |
The University of Edinburgh founded in 1582,[3] is an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. It is the sixth university to be established in the British Isles, making it one of the ancient universities of the United Kingdom.
The university is placed amongst the best in the world, ranking 20th in the current THES - QS World University Rankings.[4][5], as well as 17th in the current Global University Ranking[6]. It played an important role leading the city of Edinburgh to its reputation as a chief intellectual centre during the Age of Enlightenment, and helped give the city the nickname of the Athens of the north. Alumni of the university include some of the major figures of modern history.
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The founding of the University is attributed to Bishop Robert Reid of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney, who left the funds on his death in 1558 that ultimately provided the University's endowment. The University was established by a Royal Charter granted by James VI in 1582, becoming the fourth Scottish university at a time when more populous neighbour England had only two.
By the 18th century Edinburgh was a leading centre of the European Enlightenment (see Scottish Enlightenment) and became one of the continent's principal universities.
Students at the university are represented by Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA), which consists of the Students' Representative Council (SRC), founded in 1884 by Robert Fitzroy Bell, the Edinburgh University Union (EUU) which was founded in 1889. They are also represented by the Edinburgh University Sports Union (EUSU) which was founded in 1866.
In 2002, the University was re-organised from its 9 faculties into three ‘Colleges’, and now comprises the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Science and Engineering (CSE), and Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (MVM). Within these Colleges are 21 ‘Schools’, which are of roughly equal sizes, generally significantly larger than the more-numerous departments they replaced.
In the Third European Report on Science & Technology Indicators (2004), compiled by the European Commission,[7] the University of Edinburgh ranked as follows:
In 2006 Newsweek ranked the University of Edinburgh 6th in the UK, 11th in Europe and 47th in the world.[8]
The Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008 [ARWU] ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[9]
The Guardian University Guide 2008 ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[10]
In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, an approximately 5 yearly audit of the research quality of British higher education establishments, the University of Edinburgh was placed 10th overall, a rise of 4 places from 14th in the 2001 RAE. The University was also placed 5th in the UK in terms of the power of its research departments.[11] 63% of the University’s research activity was in the highest categories (4* and 3*), of which one third is recognised as “world-leading”. It was rated top in the UK for Computer Science studies, a category in which the University of Edinburgh School of Informatics made every eligible research submission whereas other universities submitted selectively[12]. It was rated top in the UK for medical research submitted to the Hospital-based clinical subjects panel.[13] The University was also placed 3rd in the UK for both Engineering [14] and Chemistry (3rd equal with a joint submission with the University of St Andrews)[15]. Notable positions - among others - include 3rd in English, joint 5th in Pure Mathematics and 6th in Physics [16]. The results for each of the 39 subject areas subjected for quality assessment can be retrieved at Guardian Education or the official RAE website.[17]
In 2009, U.S. News and World Report ranked the University of Edinburgh as 23rd in the world in the same pool as Oxbridge, University College London, and Imperial College London.[18] U.S. News and World Report also ranked the University of Edinburgh as 6th in Europe. [19]
The 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[20]
The 2008 Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[21]
The 2009 Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[22]
| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Times Good University Guide | 14th[23] | 18th[23] | 13th[24] | 11th[25] | 5th[26] | 13th | 14th[27] | 15th | 8th[28][29] | 6th | 6th | 8th= | 7th | 10th | 4th= | 5th= | 4th= | 6th= |
| Guardian University Guide | 7th[30] | 9th[31] | 9th[32] | 7th[32] | 10th | 10th[33] | 10th[34] | 15th[35] | 22nd[36] | |||||||||
| Sunday Times University Guide | 15th=[37] | 14th[38] | 13th | 10th[39] | 10th | 12th[40] | 9th[40] | 14th[40] | 13th[40] | 10th=[40] | 10th[40] | 14th[40] | ||||||
| Daily Telegraph | 16th=[41] | 42nd | ||||||||||||||||
| FT | 14th[42][43] | 15th[28] | 16th[44] | 11th[45] | 10th[46] | |||||||||||||
| Independent Complete University Guide supported by PriceWaterHouseCoopers |
11th[47] | 21st[48] | 16th[48] |
The university has the third largest financial endowment among UK universities at £185m and the third largest endowment per student, according to the Sutton Trust,[49] The university has an annual turnover of more than £400m.[50]
The University of Edinburgh is a member of the Russell Group of research-led British universities. It is also the only Scottish university, and (along with Oxford and Cambridge) one of the only British universities, to be a member both of the Coimbra Group and the LERU: two leading associations of European universities. The University is also a member of Universitas 21, an international association of research-led universities.
With the expansion in topics of study the university has expanded its campuses such that it now has seven main sites:
There have been many notable alumni and faculty of the university, including economist Adam Smith, signatories to the US Declaration of Independence James Wilson and John Witherspoon, Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, Lord Palmerston and Lord John Russell (the latter matriculated at Edinburgh, but did not graduate), engineer Alexander Graham Bell, naturalist Charles Darwin and biologist Ian Wilmut, physicists James Clerk Maxwell, Max Born, Sir David Brewster and Peter Higgs, writers Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, J.M. Barrie, and Sir Walter Scott, actor Ian Charleson, chemists Joseph Black and Daniel Rutherford, medical pioneers Joseph Lister and James Simpson, mathematician Colin Maclaurin, cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, philosopher David Hume, geologist James Hutton, chemist and two-time recipient of Alexander von Humboldt research prize for senior scientists Narayan Hosmane, Dr. Valentin Fuster, the only cardiologist to receive all four major research awards from the world's four major cardiovascular organizations,[51] and mathematician and president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Sir Michael Atiyah.
At graduation ceremonies, the Vice-Chancellor caps graduates with the Geneva Bonnet, a hat which legend says was originally made from cloth taken from the breeches of John Knox or George Buchanan. The hat was last restored in 2000, when a note from 1849 was discovered in the fabric.[52][53] In 2006, a University emblem taken into space by Piers Sellers was incorporated into the Geneva Bonnet.[54]
The Edinburgh University Students' Association consists of the unions and the Student Representative Council. The Unions include Teviot Row House, Potterrow, Kings Buildings House, the Pleasance, and a number of shops, cafés and refectories around the various campuses. Teviot Row House is said[who?] to be the oldest purpose-built student union building in the world.[citation needed] The Student Representative Council represents students to the University and the outside world. It is also responsible for Edinburgh's 222 student societies. The Association has four sabbatical office bearers – a President and three Vice Presidents. Turnout in elections for these positions has, in recent years, been among the highest in the UK. The Association is affiliated to the National Union of Students.
Newspapers:
Edinburgh University is one of Britain's most successful sporting universities. Student sport consists of 67 clubs from the traditional Football and Rugby to the more unconventional Korfball or Gliding. Run by the Edinburgh University Sports Union, these 67 clubs have seen Edinburgh rise to 4th place in the British Universities' Sports Association (BUSA) rankings in 2006-07 and have been in the British Top 5 sporting Universities since 2005. It continues to be the most successful Scottish University for sport.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the University of Edinburgh alumni and students secured four medals - three gold and a silver.[55] The three gold medals were won by the cyclist Chris Hoy and the silver was won by Katherine Grainger in female rowing.
There are a number of campaigning societies at the university. The largest of these is environment and poverty campaigning group People & Planet, which is affiliated to the national People & Planet net. International development organisations include Edinburgh Global Partnerships, which was established as a student-led charity in 1990.
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